Air-supply means for motors.



w. A. WATKINS.

AIB SUPPLY MEANS FOB MOTORS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 19134 Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

HIS ATTFGNEY unirsi) sra'rns Barnier onirica.

WILLIAM A. WATKINS, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIIIA,` ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 SIDNEY A. RATLFIE, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

AIR-SUPPLY MEANS FOR MOTORS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WiLLiAirA. WA'ririNs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented new and i rv.and the proper proportions of air and fuel,

for motors, may be readily and accurately controlled and varied in accordance with the requirements of varying Working conditions.

The invention relates particularly to air supply means for internal combustion motors, such motors when used for operating vehicles requiring a wide range of proportions of fuel and air in their operation if they are to eiiiciently and economically supply the various demands made upon them for speed and power.

Another object is to provide means for internally cooling and scavenging the motor when a motor vehicle is traveling by virtue of its momentum and the motor is not being used for power purposes.

WVitli the above and other objects in view,

vthe invention consists in the novel and use- -Vful provision, formation, construction, combination, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finally pointed out in claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a fragmen tary side elevation of an automobile or motor vehicle equipped with air supply means, constructed, organized and applied in accordance with `the invention, parts being broken away in section 'for clearness of illustration.; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary 'view partly in section taken on line 2-x2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in section, taken on the line :r3-x3, Fig. and looking in the direction of the appended arrows; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of the controlling means, taken on a line of vision inem' the reverse side of the showing in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated by the same reference characters.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led June 20, 1913." Serial No. 774,927.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

lReferring with particularity to the drawing, A designates the body of a motor vehicle or automtile of the usual form, with wheels, axles, et cetera detached. The vehicle is provided willi the usual steering post B and steering wheel C and with the usual horizontal frame D upon which is mounted the motor E.

F designates the air supply means organized to embody the invention, the same being connected with the fuel supply means G of the motor E, and with controlling or operating means H, and having adjusting means J. i

A particular embodiment of the invention, with respect to the specific construction and combination and inter-relation of parts,

'members and features, is as follows: The air supply means F comprise a tubular member 5 having' a reduced terminus G which is threaded as at Tinto the intake pipe 8 of the motor E. The end 9 of the tubular member 5 is fitted with aperturcd closure 10 from which projects a boss 11. Rotatably mounted upon the boss 11 is a valve 12 provided with ports or apertures 13 arranged to be brought into registration with similar ports or apertures 14 provided in the closure 10. The valvei is preferably of biiilt-up formation, the outer portion 15 being recessed as atlGto accommodate an oscillatory shutter 17 which is held in flat facial contact with the inner face of the portion 15 by means of the disk portion 1S, screws 19 serving to hold the parts in assemblage. Ports 20 nre provided in the shut-ter 17v which may" be brought into full registration with the ports 13 of the valve 12. or t-lie shutter 17 may be so positioned by means of a Iingerpece or lever 21 that`t-he ports 13 are partially or entirely closed, thus constituting the adjusting means J whereby the maximum port area and consequent maximum capacity of the valve may bc fixed at any pre-deter mined point; the portion 15 of the valve being cut away at its periphery as at 22 to accommodate movement of the iinger piece 21.

v parts, and a flexible member g With its ac- -I other endxvith the mechanism which operreach of the operator of the motor vehicle. I The lever 44 is pivotally secured to the support 45 as at 46and is adapted to be thrown into three positions, being` limited in throw in one direction by the abutment 47 andin l "Ihe mechanism for operating the throttle' `a foot pedal or lever 36 adapted to be moved 'i a lever ory finger piece 44 mounted upon a 27 arranged to cover or uncover a plurality of ports 28 provided in. the tubular member at such distance from its ends, that they are covered by the member 27 until it is moved to its outermost position. The'central portion ,29 of thefvalve member 27 is a puppet valvellof frusto-'conical formation and co-acts with a seat30 formed interiorly of the tubular member 5 at the reduced terminus 6 thereof. F rom lthe periphe-ry of the puppet valve 29 Aextends lateral, arms 31 carrying at their portion of the valve member Which covers or uncovers the aforementioned ports 28. The puppet valve 29, lateral arms-3l and annuius 32 are preferably of integral const-ruction.

The operating or controlling means H comprise al link member h and its co-acting companlments. The link member le, is c0n-. nected at one end with the lever 26 of the valve 12 by any suitable means as by ball and socket ioint 33, and connected at the ates the throttle valve 34 of the fuel supply means G, said fuel supplyuneans being of any preferred form as for instance a carbureter such as is-ordinarily employed.

valve 34 may be of the usual forni, Such as by the operator of the motor vehicle, and a connecting link 37 between such lever and the'throttle valve, as illustrated in Fig. 1. ln usual practice such throttle operating mechanism is further connected With nianuallyv operatedfmeans 38 mounted upon the steering mechanism and connected -With the link 37 by means of a rod 38a, which acts against a collar 39 provided on the link 37 when the manually operated mcansf38 are manipulated, in this manner operating thethrottle valve. The specific arrangement of such throttle operating' mechanism is immaterial, the .only requirement being that the connections be such as will causelthe operation ofthe valveul2 when the throttle valve 34- is operated, in this particular Vadaptation of the invention. The iiexible member. g preferably consists of a stift' Wire 40 which is secured to the valve member 27 in any suitable manner, as at 41, the Wire passing' through a bore 42. which extends through the closure l0 and the bossv .11, the Wire further passing through a tightly coiled Wire casing or the like 43 to segmental support fixed within easy weerga its support or any suitable detent. One end :of the coiled Wire casing is secured to the support'v 45 by being clamped between the portions 47a and 47 b of the lug 47, While the other end is secured to the boss 1l by means of a coupling or union 49 screwed onto the threaded portion 25 of the boss.

During the operation of the motor a gaseous fuel and air mixture is supplied to the point of combustion in the motorthrough the intake pipe 8, the volume of such mixture ordinarily being controlled by the throttle valve 84, ,While the ratio of fuel t0 airv or richness of the mixture is largely controlled by the fixed adjustment of the carbureter or other fuel. supply means. When it is considered that the motor is operated at various speeds and under Widely dierent Working conditions and must meet` the ever changing requirements ofthe road, it Will be apparent that no fixed adjustment of fuel and air proportions at the carbureter can efficiently and economically supply the proper mixture of fuel and "air With Awhich the motor can meet the various demands for powery and speed. Thel air supply means,

'beingtapped into the intake pipe between the throttle valve and the motor, is utilized to vary the proportion of fuel to air Whenever variationV isrh required, by the dilutionof the mixture f rmed in the carbureter, which is accompl shed by the addition of such proportionate amount of air as may be required to meet the aforementioned varying` Working conditions. lever or finger piece 44 is moved lby the operator to rest against /the abutment thewire 40 is forced to move in its casing and ioo causes` they valve member 27,' to which it is connected,'to move inwardly in the tubular member 5, forcing the puppet vvalve 29 against its seat 30 thereby sealing the intake .pipe 8 againstthe entrance of any air through the air supply means, in `which case the motor runs on the liveredby the carburetor.v

When the motor taking in a partial vacuum isformed in pipe which effectually keeps the puppet valve 29 `to its seat and the anpulus 32 in' positionto cover the'ports, 28, ttntil unseat-v ing is caused by movement vofthe lever 44 fuel mixture mixture as deintake bythe operator of the motor car, whichV movement, transmitted by theWire 40, draws the puppet valve the intake pipe inI communication with the air supply means. v

,The valve l12 being directly connected and operable with the throttlev operating means, in one manner of employing the invention,

it brings the ports 13 into registration With 29 from its seat, placing 1 which scavenges throttle valve for the ports 14 in the closure 10 or partially or Wholly closes said ports 14, when the throttle is correspondingly set, the relative positions of the ports in the valve and the 'ports in the closure being dependent on the positioning ot the throttle valve. Proper han monious working of throttle valve and valve 12 are insured by pre-determined adjustment. Vhen the ports 13 and 14 are in such positionsthat air may pass therethrough and the puppet valve 29 has been moved from its seat, the partial vacuum in the intake pipe 8 causes an inrush oi air through the ports and tubular member into the intake pipe. .During the operation just described, the annuhis 32 still covers the ports 28 as the valve member 2T and the lever.` ft-t are in their intermediate positions. W'hen, however, the lever it has been moved Sullieiently far from the abutment 4:7 to cause the movement, byjmeans of the wire, ot the valve member 2T to its outermost position, the ports Q8 are uncovered by the annulus 32 and air freely enters the intake pipe through such ports by Way of the tubular member 5, flushing` the motor with air, and cools the interior of the motor, and relieves any partial vacuum in the intake pipe, thereby reducing the draft on the carbnreter to a minimum or to zero. This position of the valve member may be used to advantage in coastingr down yhills When the motor is not needed for power. The provision of the adjiiisting means J for varying the etli'eetive port area of the valve 12 adapts the iiwention to a wide range of motor requirements. The lever 26 of the valve 12 may, it is manifest, be arranged to be operated independently out the throttle valve if desired.

Having` thus described myinvention, I claim and desire to :secure by Letters Patent:

1; The combination, with a motor having a fuel intake pipe; ot' air supply means oom municating' with the fuel intake pipe, a the fuel intake pipe, and operative connections between 'said air supply means and said throttle alve; said air supply means comprising valve means :for regulating the supply of fair to Said inta-ke -pipe in proportion to thefttnel mixture permitted to pass the throttle valve to the motor, and other valve means normally closed and adapted to be opened to admit air to said intake pipe independently of said first named Valve means.

2. The ermibination, with a motor having a fuel intake pipe; ot air Supply means communicating with the Yl'uel intake pipe, a throttle valve for the tuoi intake pipe, and operative eonneetionev between said air supply means and said throttle valve; said air supply means coniprising'gf valve moans for regulating4 the supply ot' air to said intake pipo in proportion to the 'fuel mixture per mittedto pass tbe throttle valve to the motor, and other valve means normally closed and adapted to be opened to admit air to said .intake pipe independently ot' said first named valve means; and iiulependent means .for operating said laSt named valve means.

5l. The eoznbimltion, with a motor having a :fuel intake pipe and a throttle valve the 'fuel intake pipe; of a tubular member communicatinpr with Said :l'uel intake pipe and having a, lateral air port, a valve slidable in said tubular member and seating to terminate communieation between Said intake pipe and said tubular member, said valve also normally closing` said lateral air inlet port, a rotatable valvo at the other end of said tubular member and controlling the admission o t air thereto, and operative conneetione between said rotatable valve and Said throttle valve.

ft. The combirnition, with a motor having a fuel intake pipe; ol air supply means eomlnunicating with the 't'uel intake pipe, a throttle valve for the fuel intake pipe, and operative connections between said air supply means` and ASaid throttle valve; Said air supply 11u-ans emnprieiup,r valve means for regulating the eup'ily nl air to Said intake pipe in prtqiortion to the :fuel mixture permitted to pues the throttle valve to the motor, and other valve moans normally closed and adapted to be opened to admit air lt0 said intake pipe ilnlepeinlently of said first named valve nufans and further :ulapted to entirely cut oli' Said air supply means from said fuel intake pipe.

In testimony wlureoit", 1' have signed in v name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

lVitnosses i lia vuoi; o lynn liuiiuiiemcrz, A mem-:o Il. DM: umlnl torr 

